Techniques and apparatuses for slot-based and non-slot-based scheduling in 5G

ABSTRACT

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may receive control information for a communication of the UE; and determine whether the control information is associated with a slot-based control configuration or a non-slot-based control configuration based at least in part on the control information; or determine whether the communication is associated with a slot-based data configuration or a non-slot-based data configuration. Numerous other aspects are provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS UNDER 35 U.S.C. § 119

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/170,705, filed Oct. 25, 2018, entitled “TECHNIQUES AND APPARATUSESFOR SLOT-BASED AND NON-SLOT-BASED SCHEDULING IN 5G,” (now U.S. Pat. No.10,849,123), which claims priority to Greek Patent Application No.20170100519, filed on Nov. 17, 2017, entitled “TECHNIQUES ANDAPPARATUSES FOR SLOT-BASED AND NON-SLOT-BASED SCHEDULING IN 5G,” whichare hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wirelesscommunication, and more particularly to techniques and apparatuses forslot-based and non-slot based scheduling in 5G.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustelecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging,and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employmultiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication withmultiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth,transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple-access technologiesinclude code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time divisionmultiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multiple access(FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA)systems, single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA)systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access(TD-SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE/LTE-Advanced is aset of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP).

A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations(BSs) that can support communication for a number of user equipment(UEs). A user equipment (UE) may communicate with a base station (BS)via the downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers tothe communication link from the BS to the UE, and the uplink (or reverselink) refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. As will bedescribed in more detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, agNB, an access point (AP), a radio head, a transmit receive point (TRP),a new radio (NR) BS, a 5G Node B, and/or the like.

The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in varioustelecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enablesdifferent user equipment to communicate on a municipal, national,regional, and even global level. New radio (NR), which may also bereferred to as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standardpromulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR isdesigned to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improvingspectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use ofnew spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards usingorthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix(CP) (CP-OFDM) on the downlink (DL), using CP-OFDM and/or SC-FDM (e.g.,also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) onthe uplink (UL), as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation.However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues toincrease, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE and NRtechnologies. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable toother multiple access technologies and the telecommunication standardsthat employ these technologies.

SUMMARY

In some aspects, a method for wireless communication performed by a UEmay include receiving control information for a communication of the UE;and determining whether the control information is associated with aslot-based control configuration or a non-slot-based controlconfiguration based at least in part on the control information; ordetermining whether the communication is associated with a slot-baseddata configuration or a non-slot-based data configuration.

In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication may include a memoryand one or more processors configured to receive control information fora communication of the UE; and determine whether the control informationis associated with a slot-based control configuration or anon-slot-based control configuration based at least in part on thecontrol information; or determine whether the communication isassociated with a slot-based data configuration or a non-slot-based dataconfiguration.

In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store oneor more instructions for wireless communication. The one or moreinstructions, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, may causethe one or more processors to receive control information for acommunication of the UE; and determine whether the control informationis associated with a slot-based control configuration or anon-slot-based control configuration based at least in part on thecontrol information; or determine whether the communication isassociated with a slot-based data configuration or a non-slot-based dataconfiguration.

In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may includemeans for receiving control information for a communication of theapparatus; and means for determining whether the control information isassociated with a slot-based control configuration or a non-slot-basedcontrol configuration based at least in part on the control information;or means for determining whether the communication is associated with aslot-based data configuration or a non-slot-based data configuration.

Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer programproduct, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment,wireless communication device, and processing system as substantiallydescribed herein with reference to and as illustrated by theaccompanying drawings and specification.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that thedetailed description that follows may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conceptionand specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do notdepart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of theconcepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method ofoperation, together with associated advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose ofillustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits ofthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above-recited features of the presentdisclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description,briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to aspects, some ofwhich are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted,however, that the appended drawings illustrate only certain typicalaspects of this disclosure and are therefore not to be consideredlimiting of its scope, for the description may admit to other equallyeffective aspects. The same reference numbers in different drawings mayidentify the same or similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of awireless communication network, in accordance with various aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example 200 of abase station in communication with a user equipment (UE) in a wirelesscommunication network, in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of aframe structure in a wireless communication network, in accordance withvarious aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an examplesynchronization communication hierarchy in a wireless communicationnetwork, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example subframeformat with a normal cyclic prefix, in accordance with various aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example logical architecture of a distributedradio access network (RAN), in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example physical architecture of a distributedRAN, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a downlink (DL)-centricsubframe, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an uplink (UL)-centricsubframe, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating examples of slot-based andnon-slot-based control and data configurations, in accordance withvarious aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of determination ofslot-based and non-slot-based control and data configurations forcontrol information and/or a communication, in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, forexample, by a user equipment, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

New Radio (NR) may support slot-based scheduling and non-slot-basedscheduling. Slot-based scheduling may be associated with a slot-basedcontrol configuration and a slot-based data configuration, andnon-slot-based scheduling may be associated with a non-slot-basedcontrol configuration and a non-slot-based data configuration. In aslot-based control configuration, control information for the UE isprovided in a DL control region of the slot, whereas in a non-slot-basedcontrol configuration, control information may be provided anywhere inthe slot, including the DL control region. In a slot-based dataconfiguration, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) may be located ina different location than in a non-slot-based data configuration. Forthe above reasons, slot-based scheduling may be associated with adifferent processing timeline than non-slot-based scheduling. Therefore,a UE may need to know whether a grant uses slot-based scheduling ornon-slot-based scheduling to determine an appropriate timeline forprocessing the control information, and whether the grant is for acommunication associated with a slot-based data configuration or anon-slot-based data configuration to determine a DMRS configuration ofthe communication.

Some techniques and apparatuses described herein provide determinationof whether control information is associated with a slot-based controlconfiguration or a non-slot-based control configuration and/or whether acommunication associated with the control information is associated witha slot-based data configuration or a non-slot-based data configuration.This may enable a UE to determine where a reference signal (e.g., ademodulation reference signal (DMRS)) will be located for thecommunication and/or to determine a processing timeline for the controlinformation. In this way, usage of slot-based scheduling andnon-slot-based scheduling is enabled and efficiency of signalingregarding slot-based or non-slot-based control configuration may beimproved, thereby improving usage of network resources.

Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure may,however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construedas limited to any specific structure or function presented throughoutthis disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on theteachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scopeof the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosuredisclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined withany other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus may beimplemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspectsset forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intendedto cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using otherstructure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition toor other than the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. Itshould be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed hereinmay be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented withreference to various apparatuses and techniques. These apparatuses andtechniques will be described in the following detailed description andillustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules,components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectivelyreferred to as “elements”). These elements may be implemented usinghardware, software, or combinations thereof. Whether such elements areimplemented as hardware or software depends upon the particularapplication and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

It is noted that while aspects may be described herein using terminologycommonly associated with 3G and/or 4G wireless technologies, aspects ofthe present disclosure can be applied in other generation-basedcommunication systems, such as 5G and later, including NR technologies.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network 100 in which aspects of thepresent disclosure may be practiced. The network 100 may be an LTEnetwork or some other wireless network, such as a 5G or NR network.Wireless network 100 may include a number of BSs 110 (shown as BS 110 a,BS 110 b, BS 110 c, and BS 110 d) and other network entities. A BS is anentity that communicates with user equipment (UEs) and may also bereferred to as a base station, a NR BS, a Node B, a gNB, a 5G node B(NB), an access point, a transmit receive point (TRP), and/or the like.Each BS may provide communication coverage for a particular geographicarea. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to a coverage area of a BSand/or a BS subsystem serving this coverage area, depending on thecontext in which the term is used.

A BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, afemto cell, and/or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover arelatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius)and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. Apico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allowunrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A femto cell maycover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allowrestricted access by UEs having association with the femto cell (e.g.,UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A BS for a macro cell may bereferred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as apico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or ahome BS. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , a BS 110 a may be a macro BSfor a macro cell 102 a, a BS 110 b may be a pico BS for a pico cell 102b, and a BS 110 c may be a femto BS for a femto cell 102 c. A BS maysupport one or multiple (e.g., three) cells. The terms “eNB”, “basestation”, “NR BS”, “gNB”, “TRP”, “AP”, “node B”, “5G NB”, and “cell” maybe used interchangeably herein.

In some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and thegeographic area of the cell may move according to the location of amobile BS. In some examples, the BSs may be interconnected to oneanother and/or to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) inthe access network 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces suchas a direct physical connection, a virtual network, and/or the likeusing any suitable transport network.

Wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. A relay station isan entity that can receive a transmission of data from an upstreamstation (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send a transmission of the data to adownstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be aUE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. In the example shown inFIG. 1 , a relay station 110 d may communicate with macro BS 110 a and aUE 120 d in order to facilitate communication between BS 110 a and UE120 d. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay BS, a relaybase station, a relay, etc.

Wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes BSs ofdifferent types, e.g., macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, etc.These different types of BSs may have different transmit power levels,different coverage areas, and different impact on interference inwireless network 100. For example, macro BSs may have a high transmitpower level (e.g., 5 to 40 Watts) whereas pico BSs, femto BSs, and relayBSs may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 Watts).

A network controller 130 may couple to a set of BSs and may providecoordination and control for these BSs. Network controller 130 maycommunicate with the BSs via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicatewith one another, e.g., directly or indirectly via a wireless orwireline backhaul.

UEs 120 (e.g., 120 a, 120 b, 120 c) may be dispersed throughout wirelessnetwork 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE may also bereferred to as an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, asubscriber unit, a station, etc. A UE may be a cellular phone (e.g., asmart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, awireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, acordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera,a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, medical device orequipment, biometric sensors/devices, wearable devices (smart watches,smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wrist bands, smart jewelry (e.g.,smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music orvideo device, or a satellite radio), a vehicular component or sensor,smart meters/sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, a globalpositioning system device, or any other suitable device that isconfigured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

Some UEs may be considered machine-type communication (MTC) or evolvedor enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEsinclude, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, such as sensors,meters, monitors, location tags, etc., that may communicate with a basestation, another device (e.g., remote device), or some other entity. Awireless node may provide, for example, connectivity for or to a network(e.g., a wide area network such as Internet or a cellular network) via awired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may be consideredInternet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and/or may be implemented as may beimplemented as NB-IoT (narrowband internet of things) devices. Some UEsmay be considered a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). UE 120 may beincluded inside a housing that houses components of UE 120, such asprocessor components, memory components, and/or the like.

In general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a givengeographic area. Each wireless network may support a particular RAT andmay operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT may also be referred to asa radio technology, an air interface, etc. A frequency may also bereferred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, etc. Each frequency maysupport a single RAT in a given geographic area in order to avoidinterference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases,NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, whereina scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) allocates resources forcommunication among some or all devices and equipment within thescheduling entity's service area or cell. Within the present disclosure,as discussed further below, the scheduling entity may be responsible forscheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one ormore subordinate entities. That is, for scheduled communication,subordinate entities utilize resources allocated by the schedulingentity. Scheduling may be performed on a slot-based or non-slot-basedbasis, as described in more detail below.

Base stations are not the only entities that may function as ascheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE may function as ascheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more subordinateentities (e.g., one or more other UEs). In this example, the UE isfunctioning as a scheduling entity, and other UEs utilize resourcesscheduled by the UE for wireless communication. A UE may function as ascheduling entity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, and/or in a meshnetwork. In a mesh network example, UEs may optionally communicatedirectly with one another in addition to communicating with thescheduling entity.

Thus, in a wireless communication network with a scheduled access totime-frequency resources and having a cellular configuration, a P2Pconfiguration, and a mesh configuration, a scheduling entity and one ormore subordinate entities may communicate utilizing the scheduledresources.

In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120 a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g.,without using a BS 110 as an intermediary to communicate with oneanother). For example, the UEs 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer(P2P) communications, device-to-device (D2D) communications, avehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocol (e.g., which may include avehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocol, a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I)protocol, and/or the like), a mesh network, and/or the like. In thiscase, the UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selectionoperations, and/or other operations described elsewhere herein as beingperformed by the BS 110.

As indicated above, FIG. 1 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples are possible and may differ from what was described with regardto FIG. 1 .

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a design of BS 110 and UE 120, which maybe one of the base stations and one of the UEs in FIG. 1 . BS 110 may beequipped with T antennas 234 a through 234 t, and UE 120 may be equippedwith R antennas 252 a through 252 r, where in general T≥1 and R≥1.

At BS 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data from a data source212 for one or more UEs, select one or more modulation and codingschemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on channel qualityindicators (CQIs) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode andmodulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS(s)selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmitprocessor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-staticresource partitioning information (SRPI), etc.) and control information(e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, etc.) and provideoverhead symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 may alsogenerate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., thecell-specific reference signal (CRS) or demodulation reference signal(DMRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., the primary synchronizationsignal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) in particularlocations based at least in part on a data configuration of acommunication to be transmitted. A transmit (TX) multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing(e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overheadsymbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide Toutput symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232 a through 232 t. Eachmodulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., forOFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 mayfurther process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, andupconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. Tdownlink signals from modulators 232 a through 232 t may be transmittedvia T antennas 234 a through 234 t, respectively. According to variousaspects described in more detail below, the synchronization signals canbe generated with location encoding to convey additional information.

At UE 120, antennas 252 a through 252 r may receive the downlink signalsfrom BS 110 and/or other base stations and may provide received signalsto demodulators (DEMODs) 254 a through 254 r, respectively. Eachdemodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, anddigitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) toobtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbolsfrom all R demodulators 254 a through 254 r, perform MIMO detection onthe received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. Areceive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) thedetected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120 to a data sink 260,and provide decoded control information and system information to acontroller/processor 280. A channel processor may determine referencesignal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI),reference signal received quality (RSRQ), channel quality indicator(CQI), etc.

On the uplink, at UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive andprocess data from a data source 262 and control information (e.g., forreports comprising RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.) fromcontroller/processor 280. Transmit processor 264 may also generatereference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols fromtransmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 ifapplicable, further processed by modulators 254 a through 254 r (e.g.,for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, etc.), and transmitted to BS 110. At BS 110,the uplink signals from UE 120 and other UEs may be received by antennas234, processed by demodulators 232, detected by a MIMO detector 236 ifapplicable, and further processed by a receive processor 238 to obtaindecoded data and control information sent by UE 120. Receive processor238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decodedcontrol information to controller/processor 240. BS 110 may includecommunication unit 244 and communicate to network controller 130 viacommunication unit 244. Network controller 130 may include communicationunit 294, controller/processor 290, and memory 292.

In some aspects, one or more components of UE 120 may be included in ahousing. Controller/processor 240 of BS 110, controller/processor 280 ofUE 120, and/or any other component(s) of FIG. 2 may perform one or moretechniques associated with determination of whether control informationand/or a corresponding communication are associated with a slot-based ornon-slot-based configuration, as described in more detail elsewhereherein. For example, controller/processor 240 of BS 110,controller/processor 280 of UE 120, and/or any other component(s) ofFIG. 2 may perform or direct operations of, for example, process 1100 ofFIG. 11 and/or other processes as described herein. Memories 242 and 282may store data and program codes for BS 110 and UE 120, respectively. Ascheduler 246 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlinkand/or uplink.

The stored program codes, when executed by controller/processor 280and/or other processors and modules at UE 120, may cause the UE 120 toperform operations described with respect to process 1100 of FIG. 11and/or other processes as described herein. A scheduler 246 may scheduleUEs for data transmission on the downlink and/or uplink.

In some aspects, UE 120 may include means for receiving controlinformation for a communication of the UE 120, means for determiningwhether the control information is associated with a slot-based controlconfiguration or a non-slot-based control configuration based at leastin part on the control information, means for determining whether thecommunication is associated with a slot-based data configuration or anon-slot-based data configuration, and/or the like. In some aspects,such means may include one or more components of UE 120 described inconnection with FIG. 2 .

While blocks in FIG. 2 are illustrated as distinct components, thefunctions described above with respect to the blocks may be implementedin a single hardware, software, or combination component or in variouscombinations of components. For example, the functions described withrespect to the transmit processor 264, the receive processor 258, and/orthe TX MIMO processor 266 may be performed by or under the control ofcontroller/processor 280.

As indicated above, FIG. 2 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples are possible and may differ from what was described with regardto FIG. 2 .

FIG. 3A shows an example frame structure 300 for frequency divisionduplexing (FDD) in a telecommunications system (e.g., NR). Thetransmission timeline for each of the downlink and uplink may bepartitioned into units of radio frames. Each radio frame may have apredetermined duration and may be partitions into a set of Z (Z≥1)subframes (e.g., with indices of 0 through Z−1). Each subframe mayinclude a set of slots (e.g., two slots per subframe are shown in FIG.3A). Any number of slots may be used in each subframe, although someconfigurations use between 1 and 32 slots based at least in part on asubcarrier spacing of the frame. Each slot may include a set of L symbolperiods. For example, each slot may include seven symbol periods (e.g.,as shown in FIG. 3A), fifteen symbol periods, and/or the like. In a casewhere the subframe includes two slots, the subframe may include 2Lsymbol periods, where the 2L symbol periods in each subframe may beassigned indices of 0 through 2L−1. In some aspects, a scheduling unitfor the FDD may frame-based, subframe-based, slot-based, symbol-based,and/or the like.

While some techniques are described herein in connection with frames,subframes, slots, and/or the like, these techniques may equally apply toother types of wireless communication structures, which may be referredto using terms other than “frame,” “subframe,” “slot,” and/or the likein 5G NR. In some aspects, a wireless communication structure may referto a periodic time-bounded communication unit defined by a wirelesscommunication standard and/or protocol. Additionally, or alternatively,different configurations of wireless communication structures than thoseshown in FIG. 3A may be used.

In certain telecommunications (e.g., NR), a base station may transmitsynchronization signals. For example, a base station may transmit aprimary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal(SSS), and/or the like, on the downlink for each cell supported by thebase station. The PSS and SSS may be used by UEs for cell search andacquisition. For example, the PSS may be used by UEs to determine symboltiming, and the SSS may be used by UEs to determine a physical cellidentifier, associated with the base station, and frame timing. The basestation may also transmit a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The PBCHmay carry some system information, such as system information thatsupports initial access by UEs.

In some aspects, the base station may transmit the PSS, the SSS, and/orthe PBCH in accordance with a synchronization communication hierarchy(e.g., a synchronization signal (SS) hierarchy) including multiplesynchronization communications (e.g., SS blocks), as described below inconnection with FIG. 3B.

FIG. 3B is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example SShierarchy, which is an example of a synchronization communicationhierarchy. As shown in FIG. 3B, the SS hierarchy may include an SS burstset, which may include a plurality of SS bursts (identified as SS burst0 through SS burst B−1, where B is a maximum number of repetitions ofthe SS burst that may be transmitted by the base station). As furthershown, each SS burst may include one or more SS blocks (identified as SSblock 0 through SS block (b_(max_SS-1)), where b_(max_SS-1) is a maximumnumber of SS blocks that can be carried by an SS burst). In someaspects, different SS blocks may be beam-formed differently. An SS burstset may be periodically transmitted by a wireless node, such as every Xmilliseconds, as shown in FIG. 3B. In some aspects, an SS burst set mayhave a fixed or dynamic length, shown as Y milliseconds in FIG. 3B.

The SS burst set shown in FIG. 3B is an example of a synchronizationcommunication set, and other synchronization communication sets may beused in connection with the techniques described herein. Furthermore,the SS block shown in FIG. 3B is an example of a synchronizationcommunication, and other synchronization communications may be used inconnection with the techniques described herein.

In some aspects, an SS block includes resources that carry the PSS, theSSS, the PBCH, and/or other synchronization signals (e.g., a tertiarysynchronization signal (TSS)) and/or synchronization channels. In someaspects, multiple SS blocks are included in an SS burst, and the PSS,the SSS, and/or the PBCH may be the same across each SS block of the SSburst. In some aspects, a single SS block may be included in an SSburst. In some aspects, the SS block may be at least four symbol periodsin length, where each symbol carries one or more of the PSS (e.g.,occupying one symbol), the SSS (e.g., occupying one symbol), and/or thePBCH (e.g., occupying two symbols). In some aspects, the SS block may bemultiplexed with a data communication, such as a remaining minimumsystem information communication, in a data channel.

In some aspects, a synchronization communication (e.g., an SS block) mayinclude a base station synchronization communication for transmission,which may be referred to as a Tx BS-SS, a Tx gNB-SS, and/or the like. Insome aspects, a synchronization communication (e.g., an SS block) mayinclude a base station synchronization communication for reception,which may be referred to as an Rx BS-SS, an Rx gNB-SS, and/or the like.In some aspects, a synchronization communication (e.g., an SS block) mayinclude a user equipment synchronization communication for transmission,which may be referred to as a Tx UE-SS, a Tx NR-SS, and/or the like. Abase station synchronization communication (e.g., for transmission by afirst base station and reception by a second base station) may beconfigured for synchronization between base stations, and a userequipment synchronization communication (e.g., for transmission by abase station and reception by a user equipment) may be configured forsynchronization between a base station and a user equipment.

In some aspects, a base station synchronization communication mayinclude different information than a user equipment synchronizationcommunication. For example, one or more base stations synchronizationcommunications may exclude PBCH communications. Additionally, oralternatively, a base station synchronization communication and a userequipment synchronization communication may differ with respect to oneor more of a time resource used for transmission or reception of thesynchronization communication, a frequency resource used fortransmission or reception of the synchronization communication, aperiodicity of the synchronization communication, a waveform of thesynchronization communication, a beamforming parameter used fortransmission or reception of the synchronization communication, and/orthe like.

In some aspects, the symbols of an SS block are consecutive, as shown inFIG. 3B. In some aspects, the symbols of an SS block arenon-consecutive. Similarly, in some aspects, one or more SS blocks ofthe SS burst may be transmitted in consecutive radio resources (e.g.,consecutive symbol periods) during one or more subframes. Additionally,or alternatively, one or more SS blocks of the SS burst may betransmitted in non-consecutive radio resources.

In some aspects, the SS bursts may have a burst period, whereby the SSblocks of the SS burst are transmitted by the base station according tothe burst period. In other words, the SS blocks may be repeated duringeach SS burst. In some aspects, the SS burst set may have a burst setperiodicity, whereby the SS bursts of the SS burst set are transmittedby the base station according to the fixed burst set periodicity. Inother words, the SS bursts may be repeated during each SS burst set.

The base station may transmit system information, such as systeminformation blocks (SIBs) on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)in certain subframes. The base station may transmit controlinformation/data on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in Csymbol periods of a subframe, where B may be configurable for eachsubframe. The base station may transmit traffic data and/or other dataon the PDSCH in the remaining symbol periods of each subframe.

As indicated above, FIGS. 3A and 3B are provided as examples. Otherexamples are possible and may differ from what was described with regardto FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 4 shows an example subframe format 410 with a normal cyclic prefix.The available time frequency resources may be partitioned into resourceblocks. Each resource block may cover a set to of subcarriers (e.g., 12subcarriers) in one slot and may include a number of resource elements.Each resource element may cover one subcarrier in one symbol period(e.g., in time) and may be used to send one modulation symbol, which maybe a real or complex value. In some aspects, subframe format 410 may beused for transmission of SS blocks that carry the PSS, the SSS, thePBCH, and/or the like, as described herein.

An interlace structure may be used for each of the downlink and uplinkfor FDD in certain telecommunications systems (e.g., NR). For example, Qinterlaces with indices of 0 through Q−1 may be defined, where Q may beequal to 4, 6, 8, 10, or some other value. Each interlace may includesubframes that are spaced apart by Q frames. In particular, interlace qmay include subframes q, q+Q, q+2Q, etc., where q∈{0, . . . , Q−1}.

A UE may be located within the coverage of multiple BSs. One of theseBSs may be selected to serve the UE. The serving BS may be selectedbased at least in part on various criteria such as received signalstrength, received signal quality, path loss, and/or the like. Receivedsignal quality may be quantified by a signal-to-noise-and-interferenceratio (SINR), or a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or someother metric. The UE may operate in a dominant interference scenario inwhich the UE may observe high interference from one or more interferingBSs.

While aspects of the examples described herein may be associated with NRor 5G technologies, aspects of the present disclosure may be applicablewith other wireless communication systems. New radio (NR) may refer toradios configured to operate according to a new air interface (e.g.,other than Orthogonal Frequency Divisional Multiple Access (OFDMA)-basedair interfaces) or fixed transport layer (e.g., other than InternetProtocol (IP)). In aspects, NR may utilize OFDM with a CP (hereinreferred to as cyclic prefix OFDM or CP-OFDM) and/or SC-FDM on theuplink, may utilize CP-OFDM on the downlink and include support forhalf-duplex operation using time division duplexing (TDD). In aspects,NR may, for example, utilize OFDM with a CP (herein referred to asCP-OFDM) and/or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonalfrequency-division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) on the uplink, may utilizeCP-OFDM on the downlink and include support for half-duplex operationusing TDD. NR may include Enhanced Mobile Broadband (EMBB) servicetargeting wide bandwidth (e.g., 80 megahertz (MHz) and beyond),millimeter wave (mmW) targeting high carrier frequency (e.g., 60gigahertz (GHz)), massive MTC (mMTC) targeting non-backward compatibleMTC techniques, and/or mission critical targeting ultra reliable lowlatency communications (URLLC) service.

In some aspects, a single component carrier bandwidth of 100 MHZ may besupported. NR resource blocks may span 12 sub-carriers with asub-carrier bandwidth of 60 or 120 kilohertz (kHz) over a 0.1millisecond (ms) duration. Each radio frame may include 40 subframeswith a length of 10 ms. Consequently, each subframe may have a length of0.25 ms. Each subframe may indicate a link direction (e.g., DL or UL)for data transmission and the link direction for each subframe may bedynamically switched. Each subframe may include DL/UL data as well asDL/UL control data.

Beamforming may be supported and beam direction may be dynamicallyconfigured. MIMO transmissions with precoding may also be supported.MIMO configurations in the DL may support up to 8 transmit antennas withmulti-layer DL transmissions up to 8 streams and up to 2 streams per UE.Multi-layer transmissions with up to 2 streams per UE may be supported.Aggregation of multiple cells may be supported with up to 8 servingcells. Alternatively, NR may support a different air interface, otherthan an OFDM-based interface. NR networks may include entities suchcentral units or distributed units.

As indicated above, FIG. 4 is provided as an example. Other examples arepossible and may differ from what was described with regard to FIG. 4 .

FIG. 5 illustrates an example logical architecture of a distributed RAN500, according to aspects of the present disclosure. A 5G access node506 may include an access node controller (ANC) 502. The ANC may be acentral unit (CU) of the distributed RAN 500. In some aspects, the ANC502 may perform scheduling of a subordinate entity. The backhaulinterface to the next generation core network (NG-CN) 504 may terminateat the ANC. The backhaul interface to neighboring next generation accessnodes (NG-ANs) may terminate at the ANC. The ANC may include one or moreTRPs 508 (which may also be referred to as BSs, NR BSs, Node Bs, 5G NBs,APs, gNB, or some other term). As described above, a TRP may be usedinterchangeably with “cell.”

The TRPs 508 may be a distributed unit (DU). The TRPs may be connectedto one ANC (ANC 502) or more than one ANC (not illustrated). Forexample, for RAN sharing, radio as a service (RaaS), and servicespecific AND deployments, the TRP may be connected to more than one ANC.A TRP may include one or more antenna ports. The TRPs may be configuredto individually (e.g., dynamic selection) or jointly (e.g., jointtransmission) serve traffic to a UE.

The local architecture of RAN 500 may be used to illustrate fronthauldefinition. The architecture may be defined that support fronthaulingsolutions across different deployment types. For example, thearchitecture may be based at least in part on transmit networkcapabilities (e.g., bandwidth, latency, and/or jitter).

The architecture may share features and/or components with LTE.According to aspects, the next generation AN (NG-AN) 510 may supportdual connectivity with NR. The NG-AN may share a common fronthaul forLTE and NR.

The architecture may enable cooperation between and among TRPs 508. Forexample, cooperation may be preset within a TRP and/or across TRPs viathe ANC 502. According to aspects, no inter-TRP interface may beneeded/present.

According to aspects, a dynamic configuration of split logical functionsmay be present within the architecture of RAN 500. The packet dataconvergence protocol (PDCP), radio link control (RLC), media accesscontrol (MAC) protocol may be adaptably placed at the ANC or TRP.

According to various aspects, a BS may include a central unit (CU)(e.g., ANC 502) and/or one or more distributed units (e.g., one or moreTRPs 508).

As indicated above, FIG. 5 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples are possible and may differ from what was described with regardto FIG. 5 .

FIG. 6 illustrates an example physical architecture of a distributed RAN600, according to aspects of the present disclosure. A centralized corenetwork unit (C-CU) 602 may host core network functions. The C-CU may becentrally deployed. C-CU functionality may be offloaded (e.g., toadvanced wireless services (AWS)), in an effort to handle peak capacity.

A centralized RAN unit (C-RU) 604 may host one or more ANC functions.Optionally, the C-RU may host core network functions locally. The C-RUmay have distributed deployment. The C-RU may be closer to the networkedge.

A distributed unit (DU) 606 may host one or more TRPs. The DU may belocated at edges of the network with radio frequency (RF) functionality.

As indicated above, FIG. 6 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples are possible and may differ from what was described with regardto FIG. 6 .

FIG. 7 is a diagram 700 showing an example of a DL-centric slot orwireless communication structure. The DL-centric slot may include acontrol portion 702. The control portion 702 may exist in the initial orbeginning portion of the DL-centric slot. The control portion 702 mayinclude various scheduling information and/or control informationcorresponding to various portions of the DL-centric slot. In someconfigurations, the control portion 702 may be a physical DL controlchannel (PDCCH), as indicated in FIG. 7 . In some aspects, the controlportion 702 may include legacy PDCCH information, shortened PDCCH(sPDCCH) information), a control format indicator (CFI) value (e.g.,carried on a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH)), one ormore grants (e.g., downlink grants, uplink grants, etc.), and/or thelike. For a slot-based control configuration, the control portion 702may carry control information for a communication to be transmitted orreceived in the DL data portion 704.

The DL-centric slot may also include a DL data portion 704. The DL dataportion 704 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of theDL-centric slot. The DL data portion 704 may include the communicationresources utilized to communicate DL data from the scheduling entity(e.g., UE or BS) to the subordinate entity (e.g., UE). In someconfigurations, the DL data portion 704 may be a physical DL sharedchannel (PDSCH). For a non-slot-based control configuration, controlinformation may be received in the DL data portion 704 or the controlportion 702.

The DL-centric slot may also include an UL short burst portion 706. TheUL short burst portion 706 may sometimes be referred to as an UL burst,an UL burst portion, a common UL burst, a short burst, an UL shortburst, a common UL short burst, a common UL short burst portion, and/orvarious other suitable terms. In some aspects, the UL short burstportion 706 may include one or more reference signals. Additionally, oralternatively, the UL short burst portion 706 may include feedbackinformation corresponding to various other portions of the DL-centricslot. For example, the UL short burst portion 706 may include feedbackinformation corresponding to the control portion 702 and/or the DL dataportion 704. Non-limiting examples of information that may be includedin the UL short burst portion 706 include an acknowledgment (ACK) signal(e.g., a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) ACK, a physical uplinkshared channel (PUSCH) ACK, an immediate ACK), a negative ACK (NACK)signal (e.g., a PUCCH NACK, a PUSCH NACK, an immediate NACK), ascheduling request (SR), a buffer status report (BSR), a hybridautomatic repeat request (HARQ) indicator, a channel state indication(CSI), a channel quality indicator (CQI), a sounding reference signal(SRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), PUSCH data, and/orvarious other suitable types of information. The UL short burst portion706 may include additional or alternative information, such asinformation pertaining to random access channel (RACH) procedures,scheduling requests, and various other suitable types of information.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the end of the DL data portion 704 may beseparated in time from the beginning of the UL short burst portion 706.This time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, a guardperiod, a guard interval, and/or various other suitable terms. Thisseparation provides time for the switch-over from DL communication(e.g., reception operation by the subordinate entity (e.g., UE)) to ULcommunication (e.g., transmission by the subordinate entity (e.g., UE)).The foregoing is merely one example of a DL-centric wirelesscommunication structure, and alternative structures having similarfeatures may exist without necessarily deviating from the aspectsdescribed herein.

As indicated above, FIG. 7 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples are possible and may differ from what was described with regardto FIG. 7 .

FIG. 8 is a diagram 800 showing an example of an UL-centric slot orwireless communication structure. The UL-centric slot may include acontrol portion 802. The control portion 802 may exist in the initial orbeginning portion of the UL-centric slot. The control portion 802 inFIG. 8 may be similar to the control portion 702 described above withreference to FIG. 7 . The UL-centric slot may also include an UL longburst portion 804. The UL long burst portion 804 may sometimes bereferred to as the payload of the UL-centric slot. The UL portion mayrefer to the communication resources utilized to communicate UL datafrom the subordinate entity (e.g., UE) to the scheduling entity (e.g.,UE or BS). In some configurations, the control portion 802 may be aphysical DL control channel (PDCCH). For a slot-based controlconfiguration, control information for a communication of the UE 120 maybe received in the control portion 802.

As illustrated in FIG. 8 , the end of the control portion 802 may beseparated in time from the beginning of the UL long burst portion 804.This time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, guardperiod, guard interval, and/or various other suitable terms. Thisseparation provides time for the switch-over from DL communication(e.g., reception operation by the scheduling entity) to UL communication(e.g., transmission by the scheduling entity).

The UL-centric slot may also include an UL short burst portion 806. TheUL short burst portion 806 in FIG. 8 may be similar to the UL shortburst portion 706 described above with reference to FIG. 7 , and mayinclude any of the information described above in connection with FIG. 7. The foregoing is merely one example of an UL-centric wirelesscommunication structure, and alternative structures having similarfeatures may exist without necessarily deviating from the aspectsdescribed herein.

In one example, a wireless communication structure, such as a frame orsubframe, may include both UL-centric slots and DL-centric slots. Inthis example, the ratio of UL-centric slots to DL-centric slots in aframe may be dynamically adjusted based at least in part on the amountof UL data and the amount of DL data that are transmitted. For example,if there is more UL data, then the ratio of UL-centric slots toDL-centric slots may be increased. Conversely, if there is more DL data,then the ratio of UL-centric slots to DL-centric slots may be decreased.

As indicated above, FIG. 8 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples are possible and may differ from what was described with regardto FIG. 8 .

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating examples 900 of slot-based andnon-slot-based control and data configurations, in accordance withvarious aspects of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 9A, and by reference number 910, in some aspects,control information may use a slot-based control configuration. In aslot-based control configuration, the control information is provided ina PDCCH of a slot. Here, the control information includes remainingminimum system information (RMSI) in two PDCCHs (e.g., PDCCH1 andPDCCH2), corresponding to communications that are provided in a PDSCH1and a PDSCH2, respectively.

As shown by reference number 920, the communications may be associatedwith a non-slot-based data configuration. In a non-slot-based dataconfiguration, a reference signal for a communication (shown as DMRS 1and DMRS 2 for PDSCH1 and PDSCH2, respectively) may be provided in afirst symbol of the communication. In some aspects, one or moreadditional DMRS may be transmitted in later symbols (e.g., PDSCHsymbols). For example, in a non-slot-based data configuration, a Type BDMRS may be used, wherein a first DMRS symbol occurs on a first symbolof the corresponding PDSCH. In some aspects, for a slot-based dataconfiguration, a Type A DMRS may be used, wherein the reference signalis provided in a first symbol after the DL control region. As furthershown, in FIG. 9A, in some aspects, communications may be multiplexed.For example, the PDSCH1 and PDSCH2 may be multiplexed with SSB1 andSSB2.

As shown in FIG. 9B, and by reference number 930, in some aspects, anon-slot-based control configuration may be used. In the non-slot-basedcontrol configuration, control information may be provided in a locationother than a PDCCH of the slot. Here, the control information (shown asRMSI 1 for PDSCH1 and RMSI 2 for PDSCH2) is provided in a first symbolof a corresponding communication. In some aspects, the controlinformation may be provided in a different location for thenon-slot-based control configuration. For example, the controlinformation may be provided in any symbol of a slot in which acorresponding communication is transmitted or received, or in a slotbefore or after the slot in which the corresponding communication istransmitted or received.

In some aspects, such as EMBB, a slot-based PDCCH may be used with aslot-based PDSCH or PUSCH. In some aspects, a slot-based PDCCH may beused with a combination of slot-based and non-slot-based PDSCH or PUSCH.For example, and as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, a RMSI PDSCH may befrequency division multiplexed with a synchronization signal block(SSB). This may also be applicable for beam-based millimeter waveapplications. In some aspects, a non-slot-based PDCCH may be used with anon-slot-based PDSCH or PUSCH. This may be used for ultra-reliable lowlatency communication (URLLC). In some aspects, a slot-based PDCCH maybe used with a slot-based PDSCH or PUSCH, and a non-slot-based PDCCH maybe used with a non-slot-based PDSCH or PUSCH. This may be used forEMBB+URLLC class devices. In some aspects, a slot-based PDCCH may beused with a combination of slot-based and non-slot-based PDSCH or PUSCH,and a non-slot-based PDCCH may be used with a non-slot-based PDSCH orPUSCH. This may be used for beam-based EMBB+URLLC.

As indicated above, FIGS. 9A and 9B are provided as examples. Otherexamples are possible and may differ from what was described withrespect to FIGS. 9A and 9B.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example 1000 of determination ofslot-based and non-slot-based control and data configurations forcontrol information and/or a communication, in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 10 , and by reference number 1010, a BS 110 maytransmit control information to a UE 120. As further shown, the controlinformation may have a slot-based control configuration. For example,the control information may be transmitted in a DL control region of aslot. In some aspects, the control information may have a non-slot-basedcontrol configuration. In some aspects, the control information mayinclude scheduling information (e.g., a grant) for the UE 120. The UE120 may need to determine which control configuration is used for thecontrol information to determine an appropriate timeline for processingthe control information, as described in more detail below.

As shown by reference number 1020, the UE 120 may determine that thecontrol information uses the slot-based control configuration. Forexample, the UE 120 may determine whether the control information usesthe slot-based control configuration or a non-slot-based controlconfiguration. The UE 120 may determine whether the control informationuses the slot-based control configuration or the non-slot-based controlconfiguration to determine an appropriate timeline for processing thecontrol information and/or a communication associated with the controlinformation.

In some aspects, the UE 120 may determine the control configurationbased at least in part on a downlink control information (DCI) format ofthe control information. For example, a first DCI format or set of DCIformats may be associated with the slot-based control configuration, anda second DCI format or set of DCI formats may be associated with thenon-slot-based control configuration. When the UE 120 decodes controlinformation of the first DCI format, the UE 120 may determine that thecontrol information is of the slot-based control configuration. When theUE 120 decodes control information of the second DCI format, the UE 120may determine that the control information is of the non-slot-basedcontrol configuration.

In some aspects, the UE 120 may determine the control configurationbased at least in part on an explicit indication in the controlinformation. For example, the control information may include one ormore bits that may indicate whether the control information is of theslot-based control configuration or the non-slot-based controlconfiguration. When the one or more bits are set to a value thatindicates that the control information is of the slot-based controlconfiguration, the UE 120 may determine that the control information isof the slot-based control configuration. When the one or more bits areset to a value that indicates that the control information is of thenon-slot-based control configuration, the UE 120 may determine that thecontrol information is of the non-slot-based control configuration. Theabove aspect (and any other aspect described herein) may be applicablefor compact control information (e.g., compact DCI) as well asnon-compact control information (e.g., non-compact DCI).

In some aspects, the UE 120 may determine the control configurationbased at least in part on a search space in which the controlinformation is received and/or based at least in part on monitoringoccasions corresponding to the slot-based control configuration and thenon-slot-based control configuration. A UE may monitor all common searchspaces and a set of UE-specific search spaces associated with the UE.Therefore, one or more search spaces may be said to be associated with amonitoring occasion. For example, a first search space may be used forcontrol information of the slot-based control configuration, and asecond search space may be used for control information of thenon-slot-based control configuration. As another example, a search spacein a DL control region of a slot may be used for control information ofthe slot-based control configuration, and a search space that is not inthe DL control region may be used for control information of thenon-slot-based control configuration. In some aspects, a firstmonitoring occasion (e.g., a group of one or more search spaces) may beassociated with a slot-based configuration. A second monitoring occasion(e.g., another group of one or more search spaces) may be associatedwith a non-slot-based configuration. The UE may determine whethercontrol information is associated with a slot-based configuration or anon-slot-based configuration based at least in part on whether thecontrol information is received in the first monitoring occasion or thesecond monitoring occasion.

In some aspects, the UE 120 may perform blind decoding to identify thecontrol information. In such a case, when blind decoding candidates fora search space for the slot-based control configuration and a searchspace for the non-slot-based control configuration are identical, aconfigured one of the blind decoding candidates may be prioritized fordecoding. For example, in some cases, the UE 120 may identify two blinddecoding candidates in respective search spaces, wherein one of theblind decoding candidates is of a slot-based control configuration andthe other of the blind decoding candidates is of a non-slot-basedcontrol configuration. In such a case, the UE 120 may prioritize one ofthe blind decoding candidates based at least in part on a correspondingcontrol configuration. For example, the UE 120 may only decode a blinddecoding candidate associated with a slot-based control configurationbased at least in part on the UE 120 prioritizing blind decodingcandidates corresponding to the slot-based control configuration. Inthis way, efficiency of the blind decoding process may be improved whencontrol information of a particular control configuration is likely tobe received, thereby conserving processing resources of the UE 120.

As shown by reference number 1030, the UE 120 may determine that acommunication corresponding to the control information (e.g., acommunication using resources granted by the control information) isassociated with a non-slot based data configuration. For example, the UE120 may determine whether the communication is associated with thenon-slot-based data configuration or a slot-based data configuration.The UE 120 may determine the data configuration of the communication inorder to determine a location of a reference signal associated with thecommunication. For example, when the communication is of a slot-baseddata configuration, a Type A DMRS may be used, and when thecommunication is of a non-slot-based data configuration, a Type B DMRSmay be used.

In some aspects, the UE 120 may determine the data configuration basedat least in part on a configuration of the UE 120. For example, the UE120 may be configured to use a particular data configuration for thecommunication using radio resource control (RRC) signaling. In someaspects, the UE 120 may determine the data configuration based at leastin part on a control resource set (CORESET) or search space (SS)configuration of the control information associated with thecommunication. For example, when the control information is provided ina CORESET or SS of a first configuration, the UE 120 may determine thatthe corresponding communication is of a slot-based data configuration,and when the control information is provided in a CORESET or SS of asecond configuration, the UE 120 may determine that the correspondingcommunication is of a non-slot-based data configuration. Additionally,or alternatively, the UE 120 may determine the data configuration basedat least in part on a CORESET or SS in which the control information isreceived. For example, a first set of CORESETs or SSs may be designatedfor control information for the slot-based data configuration, and asecond set of CORESETs or SSs may be designated for control informationfor the non-slot-based data configuration.

In some aspects, the UE 120 may determine the data configuration basedat least in part on a control configuration of the control information.For example, when the control information is of a non-slot-based controlconfiguration, the UE 120 may determine that the correspondingcommunication is of a non-slot-based data configuration.

In some aspects, the UE 120 may determine the data configuration basedat least in part on a DCI format of the control information. Forexample, a first DCI format of control information may correspond to aslot-based data configuration, and a second DCI format of controlinformation may correspond to a non-slot-based data configuration. Insome aspects, the UE 120 may determine the data configuration based atleast in part on an indication in the control information. For example,the control information may include one or more bits which may indicatewhether the communication is of a slot-based data configuration or anon-slot-based data configuration.

In some aspects, the control information may be compact controlinformation, such as a compact DCI, which may be termed a fallback DCI.A compact DCI may be shorter than a typical DCI. In such a case, the UE120 may determine some parts of a data configuration of thecommunication based at least in part on a predefined rule. For example,the UE 120 may determine that communications associated with a compactDCI are always of a slot-based data configuration, or may determine thatcommunications associated with the compact DCI are always of anon-slot-based data configuration. This may conserve resources of thecompact DCI, and thus network resources, that would otherwise be used toindicate the data configuration. In some aspects, the compact DCI mayexplicitly or implicitly indicate the data configuration. As shown byreference number 1040, the UE 120 may receive the communicationassociated with the non-slot-based data configuration. For example, theUE 120 may receive the communication in a PDSCH. In some aspects, the UE120 may transmit the communication. For example, the UE 120 may transmitthe communication in a PUSCH. In some aspects, the UE 120 may detect ortransmit a reference signal (e.g., DMRS) associated with thecommunication based at least in part on a data configuration of thecommunication. For example, when the communication is of a slot-baseddata configuration, the UE 120 may detect or transmit the referencesignal in one location, and when the communication is of anon-slot-based data configuration, the UE 120 may detect or transmit thereference signal in another location.

As indicated above, FIG. 10 is provided as an example. Other examplesare possible and may differ from what was described with respect to FIG.10 .

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example process 1100 performed, forexample, by a UE, in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Example process 1100 is an example where a UE (e.g., UE 120)performs determination of slot-based and non-slot-based control and dataconfigurations for control information and/or a communication.

As shown in FIG. 11 , in some aspects, process 1100 may includereceiving control information for a communication (block 1110). Forexample, the UE (e.g., using antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256,receive processor 258, controller/processor 280, and/or the like) mayreceive control information for a communication. In some aspects, the UEmay receive the control information in a DL control portion of a slot(e.g., when the control information is of a slot-based controlconfiguration or a non-slot-based control configuration). In someaspects, the UE may receive the control information in a data portion ofa slot (e.g., when the control information is of a non-slot-basedcontrol configuration).

As shown in FIG. 11 , in some aspects, process 1100 may includedetermining whether the control information is associated with aslot-based control configuration or a non-slot-based controlconfiguration based at least in part on the control information (block1120). For example, the UE (e.g., using controller/processor 280 and/orthe like) may determine whether the control information is associatedwith a slot-based control configuration or a non-slot-based controlconfiguration. The determination of the control information's controlconfiguration is described in more detail in connection with FIG. 10 ,above.

As shown in FIG. 11 , in some aspects, process 1100 may includedetermining whether the communication is associated with a slot-baseddata configuration or a non-slot-based data configuration (block 1130).For example, the UE (e.g., using controller/processor 280 and/or thelike) may determine whether the communication associated with thecontrol information is associated with a slot-based data configurationor a non-slot-based data configuration, as described in more detailabove. This may allow the UE to determine when a reference signal (e.g.,DMRS) of the communication is to be transmitted or received.

Process 1100 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspector any combination of aspects described below and/or in connection withone or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

In some aspects, determining whether the control information isassociated with the slot-based control configuration or thenon-slot-based control configuration is based at least in part on adownlink control information (DCI) format of the control information. Insome aspects, determining whether the control information is associatedwith the slot-based control configuration or the non-slot-based controlconfiguration is based at least in part on an explicit indication in thecontrol information.

In some aspects, determining whether the control information isassociated with the slot-based control configuration or thenon-slot-based control configuration is based at least in part on amonitoring occasion associated with a search space in which the controlinformation is to be received. In some aspects, when blind decodingcandidates for a search space for the slot-based control configurationand a search space for the non-slot-based control configuration areidentical, a configured one of the blind decoding candidates isprioritized for decoding.

In some aspects, determining whether the communication is associatedwith the slot-based data configuration or the non-slot-based dataconfiguration is based at least in part on a radio resource controlconfiguration, a control resource set configuration, or a search spaceconfiguration of the UE. In some aspects, determining whether thecommunication is associated with the slot-based data configuration orthe non-slot-based data configuration is based at least in part onwhether the control information is associated with the slot-basedcontrol configuration or the non-slot-based control configuration. Insome aspects, when the control information is associated with thenon-slot-based control configuration, the communication is associatedwith the non-slot-based data configuration.

In some aspects, determining whether the communication is associatedwith the slot-based data configuration or the non-slot-based dataconfiguration is based at least in part on a downlink controlinformation (DCI) format of the control information. In some aspects,determining whether the communication is associated with the slot-baseddata configuration or the non-slot-based data configuration is based atleast in part on an indication in downlink control information (DCI). Insome aspects, determining whether the communication is associated withthe slot-based data configuration or the non-slot-based dataconfiguration is based at least in part on an explicit indication in thecontrol information. In some aspects, the slot-based data configurationis associated with a first type or location of a reference signal, andwherein the non-slot-based data configuration is associated with asecond type or location of the reference signal. In some aspects, theslot-based control configuration is provided in a control resource setthat occurs in a downlink control region of a slot, and thenon-slot-based control configuration is provided in a control resourceset that occurs in any region of a slot.

Although FIG. 11 shows example blocks of process 1100, in some aspects,process 1100 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, differentblocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in FIG. 11 .Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process1100 may be performed in parallel.

The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the preciseform disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.

As used herein, the term component is intended to be broadly construedas hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. Asused herein, a processor is implemented in hardware, firmware, or acombination of hardware and software.

Some aspects are described herein in connection with thresholds. As usedherein, satisfying a threshold may refer to a value being greater thanthe threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than thethreshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold,not equal to the threshold, and/or the like.

It will be apparent that systems and/or methods, described herein, maybe implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or acombination of hardware and software. The actual specialized controlhardware or software code used to implement these systems and/or methodsis not limiting of the aspects. Thus, the operation and behavior of thesystems and/or methods were described herein without reference tospecific software code—it being understood that software and hardwarecan be designed to implement the systems and/or methods based, at leastin part, on the description herein.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in theclaims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are notintended to limit the disclosure of possible aspects. In fact, many ofthese features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in theclaims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependentclaim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosureof possible aspects includes each dependent claim in combination withevery other claim in the claim set. A phrase referring to “at least oneof” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, includingsingle members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intendedto cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combinationwith multiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c,a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering ofa, b, and c).

No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed ascritical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as usedherein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or moreitems, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore,as used herein, the terms “set” and “group” are intended to include oneor more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, a combination ofrelated and unrelated items, etc.), and may be used interchangeably with“one or more.” Where only one item is intended, the term “one” orsimilar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,”“having,” and/or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further,the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on”unless explicitly stated otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of wireless communication performed by anetwork node, comprising: transmitting downlink control information fora communication, the downlink control information including an explicitindication, comprising one or more bits, indicating whether thecommunication is associated with a slot-based data configuration where aType A demodulation reference signal (DMRS) is used or a non-slot-baseddata configuration where a Type B DMRS is used; and communicating a DMRSassociated with the communication based at least in part on whether thecommunication is associated with the slot-based data configuration orthe non-slot-based data configuration.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinradio resource control (RRC) signaling is used to configure a userequipment (UE) to determine whether the communication is associated withthe slot-based data configuration or the non-slot-based dataconfiguration.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the DMRSassociated with the communication includes: transmitting the DMRSassociated with the communication based at least in part on whether thecommunication is associated with the slot-based data configuration orthe non-slot-based data configuration.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereincommunicating the DMRS associated with the communication includes:receiving the DMRS associated with the communication based at least inpart on whether the communication is associated with the slot-based dataconfiguration or the non-slot-based data configuration.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more bits are set to a first value when thecommunication is associated with the slot-based data configuration, andwherein the one or more bits are set to a second value when thecommunication is associated with the non-slot-based data configuration.6. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink control information iscompact downlink control information.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein,for the slot-based data configuration, the DMRS is provided in a firstsymbol after a downlink control region of a slot.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein, for the non-slot-based data configuration, a first DMRSsymbol occurs on a first symbol of a physical downlink shared channel(PDSCH).
 9. A network node for wireless communication, comprising: amemory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory the one or moreprocessors configured to: transmit downlink control information for acommunication, the downlink control information including an explicitindication, comprising one or more bits, indicating whether thecommunication is associated with a slot-based data configuration where aType A demodulation reference signal (DMRS) is used or a non-slot-baseddata configuration where a Type B DMRS is used; and communicate a DMRSassociated with the communication based at least in part on whether thecommunication is associated with the slot-based data configuration orthe non-slot-based data configuration.
 10. The network node of claim 9,wherein radio resource control (RRC) signaling is used to configure auser equipment (UE) to determine whether the communication is associatedwith the slot-based data configuration or the non-slot-based dataconfiguration.
 11. The network node of claim 9, wherein, to communicatethe DMRS associated with the communication, the one or more processorsare configured to: transmit the DMRS associated with the communicationbased at least in part on whether the communication is associated withthe slot-based data configuration or the non-slot-based dataconfiguration.
 12. The network node of claim 9, wherein, to communicatethe DMRS associated with the communication, the one or more processorsare configured to: receive the DMRS associated with the communicationbased at least in part on whether the communication is associated withthe slot-based data configuration or the non-slot-based dataconfiguration.
 13. The network node of claim 9, wherein the one or morebits are set to a first value when the communication is associated withthe slot-based data configuration, and wherein the one or more bits areset to a second value when the communication is associated with thenon-slot-based data configuration.
 14. The network node of claim 9,wherein the downlink control information is compact downlink controlinformation.
 15. The network node of claim 9, wherein, for theslot-based data configuration, the DMRS is provided in a first symbolafter a downlink control region of a slot.
 16. The network node of claim9, wherein, for the non-slot-based data configuration, a first DMRSsymbol occurs on a first symbol of a physical downlink shared channel(PDSCH).
 17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storinginstructions for wireless communication that when executed by one ormore processors of a network node, cause the network node to: transmitdownlink control information for a communication, the downlink controlinformation including an explicit indication, comprising one or morebits, indicating whether the communication is associated with aslot-based data configuration where a Type A demodulation referencesignal (DMRS) is used or a non-slot-based data configuration where aType B DMRS is used; and communicate a DMRS associated with thecommunication based at least in part on whether the communication isassociated with the slot-based data configuration or the non-slot-baseddata configuration.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 17, wherein radio resource control (RRC) signaling is used toconfigure a user equipment (UE) to determine whether the communicationis associated with the slot-based data configuration or thenon-slot-based data configuration.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors to communicate the DMRSassociated with the communication, cause the network node to: transmitthe DMRS associated with the communication based at least in part onwhether the communication is associated with the slot-based dataconfiguration or the non-slot-based data configuration.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors to communicatethe DMRS associated with the communication, cause the network node to:receive the DMRS associated with the communication based at least inpart on whether the communication is associated with the slot-based dataconfiguration or the non-slot-based data configuration.
 21. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one ormore bits are set to a first value when the communication is associatedwith the slot-based data configuration, and wherein the one or more bitsare set to a second value when the communication is associated with thenon-slot-based data configuration.
 22. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the downlink controlinformation is compact downlink control information.
 23. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein, for theslot-based data configuration, the DMRS is provided in a first symbolafter a downlink control region of a slot.
 24. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein, for the non-slot-baseddata configuration, a first DMRS symbol occurs on a first symbol of aphysical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).
 25. An apparatus for wirelesscommunication, comprising: means for transmitting downlink controlinformation for a communication, the downlink control informationincluding an explicit indication, comprising one or more bits,indicating whether the communication is associated with a slot-baseddata configuration where a Type A demodulation reference signal (DMRS)is used or a non-slot-based data configuration where a Type B DMRS isused; and means for communicating a DMRS associated with thecommunication based at least in part on whether the communication isassociated with the slot-based data configuration or the non-slot-baseddata configuration.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein radioresource control (RRC) signaling is used to configure a user equipment(UE) to determine whether the communication is associated with theslot-based data configuration or the non-slot-based data configuration.27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for communicating theDMRS associated with the communication includes: means for transmittingthe DMRS associated with the communication based at least in part onwhether the communication is associated with the slot-based dataconfiguration or the non-slot-based data configuration.
 28. Theapparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for communicating the DMRSassociated with the communication includes: means for receiving the DMRSassociated with the communication based at least in part on whether thecommunication is associated with the slot-based data configuration orthe non-slot-based data configuration.
 29. The apparatus of claim 25,wherein the one or more bits are set to a first value when thecommunication is associated with the slot-based data configuration, andwherein the one or more bits are set to a second value when thecommunication is associated with the non-slot-based data configuration.30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the downlink control informationis compact downlink control information.